For the past two seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers have worked hard to try to rebuild their secondary. And while it remains a work in progress, the cornerback depth chart has begun to come into focus. Let’s take a look at the unit and made some predictions for the regular season.
Starters
Joe Haden
Steven Nelson
The Steelers gave out the richest free-agent contract in franchise history to lure Nelson away from the Kansas City Chiefs. He and Haden should form the best tandem of starting cornerbacks the Steelers have had in the last decade. We are all keeping our fingers crossed that Haden can stay healthy all season.
Slot/Nickel cornerbacks
Mike Hilton
Artie Burns
There’s a clear distinction between the nickel cornerback and a slot cornerback for the Steelers. The Steelers slot cornerback is Hilton. He’s tremendous as a blitzer and run defender tight to the line of scrimmage. He isn’t the biggest cornerback but is physical enough to hang with players in coverage.
But the nickel cornerback, meaning the third outside cornerback, is likely going to be Burns. He’s had a strong training camp and offseason and looks like he is ready to contribute in a positive way.
Where do we go next?
Cam Sutton
Justin Layne
Brian Allen
Marcelis Branch
Trevon Mathis
If these names aren’t all familiar to you, don’t feel left out. We include Branch and Mathis on this list, but considering there are only two spots left for these five guys, they would be the veritable definition of longshots.
But when you just consider Sutton, Layne and Allen, things are a little more complicated. Sutton has been strong in the preseason and should be a lock to make the roster. He’s honestly the best option to replace Burns, should he lose his confidence again. So it is going to come down to if Allen can beat out this year’s third-round pick in Layne.
